I'll See It Through
by J. Maria
Summary: BtVSHP Crossie: Luna's life was complicated before the slayer school joined Hogwarts. . .It's about to get even more complicated.
1. Part The First

Disclaimer: Ha! Not mine!

Spoilers: S7 of Buffy, OotP for Harry 

Main Characters: Dawn, Luna 

Pairings: None for now 

A/N / Summary: Just a little story that popped into my head while listening to the song 'I'll See It Through' by Texas. Set in book Seven, but focuses on Luna. Kinda a sad story. The slayers formed a school in England connected with Hogwarts. Feedback is much appreciated.

****

I'll See It Through

__

Part the First

The blaze roared through the stone walls of the castle. She watched, from afar, totally unaffected by it. Her wand was tucked behind one ear, her robes were smudged with soot from the fire. Unshed tears sparkled in her eyes as she watched the fire.

Aurors and those slayer girls were working to put out the flames. No one, in their busy rush to douse the flames, noticed the sixteen year old blonde sitting in the grass with her knees tucked under her. Other students had fled to the tents pitched up quickly for their safety. She watched as Hogwarts burned.

* * * * *

Luna Lovegood was teased daily, for being so odd in her ways. Not that she really paid much mind to that unimportant drabble. There were other things to life besides silly crushes and the lot. She had been sitting alone, like she often did when a girl approached her. Her hair was brown and long, and her eyes were a bluish green. She plopped down beside Luna, a smile on her face.

"Hi, I'm Dawn Summers."

"Hello."

"I'm with the slayers." She said quickly, smiling. "Just wanted to get that out of the way, before you know, you ask me who am I."

"I'm a student."

"Yeah, I've seen you around. I suppose you know my sister?"

"Professor Summers teaches at the Slayer school."

"Yep. She's also a guidance counselor for the entire student bodies."

"Oh."

Luna had been sent to see Professor Summers by Professor Dumbledore a few weeks ago. She knew that Harry was also seeing her. Luna looked up at the girl, not catching what she had said.

"Pardon?"

"Huh? Oh, I just said that Buffy had said that you were really interesting, so I thought I'd come and meet you."

"Oh, so Professor Summers thought I needed a friend." Luna said, understanding.

"No! No, well she said something like that, but when she pointed you out, -"

"I really better be getting to class." She said rising to her feet.

Luna jumped to her feet to get away from her, not wanting anymore pity. She got enough of that from Harry. She didn't even realize, in her haste, that she was about to run right into someone.

"Luna, watch where you're going! You nearly knocked me down!" A deep voice cried out. She raised her head and held back a grimace as she found herself looking up at Ron Weasley.

"Sorry, Ron. Late for class." She brushed past him. He stared at her in confusion. He thought she was out of earshot when he muttered her most hated nickname.

"Loony Lovegood."

She nearly froze in her tracks. Dawn actually saw her step go off balance a little. But she carried on, rushing with a speed none of her schoolmates would have though possible of the odd witch. She made it Myrtle's bathroom before actually letting the painful words sink in. It was odd, but her best friend was a ghost. Myrtle understood her better than Ginny Weasley, who had taken a shine to the wallflower of a girl their third year.

Myrtle wasn't alone today. Another ghost hovered above the windows with her. She was only sixteen or so, and her hair was shoulder length blond, with purple tips. She smiled at Luna.

"Hey."

"Hello." She noticed that her accent was like that Dawn girl's.

"Myrtle's been filling me in while we watched you from here. She's not just doing it for Buffy."

"Who are you?"

"Cassie. Sides, she's a good friend. Through the fire, she'll get your back." Cassie said softly.

"Luna? Luna! Are you in here?" Dawn called from the doorway.

Luna looked up at the two ghosts as they smiled and faded into the sunlight. She turned to face the girl.

"Luna?"

"Yes?" 

"Look about earlier. . .It just wasn't because Buffy asked me too."

Luna looked back up at the window where Cassie and Myrtle had been. Maybe she should take the ghost's advice.


	2. Part The Second

Title: I'll See It Through

Part: 2/10

Author: Jmaria

Rating: R

Spoilers: s7 b5

Set: AU b7, Hogwarts & the Kendra Memorial School for Slayers

Disclaimers: Not mine.

Previous part can be found here 

Summary: New styles learned, secret revealed, lots of potty-mouth and gesturing involved.

A/N: Ok, This, like many of my other stories ended up being very, very sad. (granted I only have two parts out, but they are kinda sad) This story is gonna run to only ten parts (five, the originally planned # just wouldn't get it out) I am working on a bazillion stories right now, so I had to reread what I wrote in the first chapter. So, Luna's gonna let Dawn befriend her. . .Nothing can go wrong. . .right?

__

Part the Second

It wasn't as if Luna didn't care about her appearance.

She just never put much thought into it. Was that so wrong?

According to Dawn and Ginny? Yes. It was seriously abnormal. But then, it was only one of the few things they thought were abnormal about her. She watched as the two girls conversed, numerous cosmetics and magazines scattered before them.

"I don't think that's -"

"No, it's gotta be that shade. It pulls out her eyes. . ."

"But it makes her look washed out, here, this would -"

"Are you nuts? You'd look good in that, but Luna, she doesn't have your coloring. She -"

"What are you three doing?" A deep voice broke in, causing Luna to propel the magazine in her hands into the air. The three girls looked up at the speaker. Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron were all staring at them. 

"Take a pill, Ron. We're not making potions." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"You've been spending too much time with Summers there." He pointed an accusing finger.

"Get bent, Weasley." Dawn smiled sweetly. She was still pissed at him for calling Luna Looney.

"Nice language!" He said crossly.

"Sit and spin, baby, sit and spin." She said, flipping him off in a classic mock of what Spike would have done to - well, to anyone.

"Dawn!" Hermione sounded scandalized. 

"C'mon, 'Mione, it's not that bad." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Can you three leave?" Ginny asked pointedly, "This is a girl's lavatory."

"Oh, right." Harry said.

"Hold your bleedin' horses, there. They can't just order us about."

"Oh, puff your chest up more, why don't you?" Ginny snorted. "Technically we can." She smiled sweetly at her brother. "We _are_ girls, whereas you are boys in a girl's lavatory. We rank higher in this situation, Mr. Headboy. I can see Professor Dumbledore about it, -"

"Fine! We're going, Gin!" Ron yelled. As he turned to leave, he muttered under his breath to Harry, "She's gotten awfully cheeky since she started hanging about with Summers and Loony Lovegood."

But Ron failed to realize that his little muttering was loud enough to reach the ears of the three girls. Harry tried to tell him to drop it, as he turned back to see the blond Ravenclaw drop her head, pain etched in her face as the two girls surrounded her protectively. She snapped her head up, feeling his eyes on her. And he saw the tears shinning there.

"Harry, let's go practice. . . We've got that match coming up against Slytherin."

"Sure, Ron." He said half-heartedly, shoving the redhead to go before him. Hermione had an angry look in her eyes, one that Harry had only seen rarely and never before directed so heatedly at her two male friends. 

"You coming, 'Mione?" Ron called back, as Harry shoved him out of the lavatory.

"No, I'm not. Studying to do, you know." She said snippily.

"All right, see you later. Would you quit shoving me, Harry?" He demanded.

Luna waited for three minutes. That was when the tears came. She didn't know why it hurt so much when he called her that. Actually, she did. It was because she loved the stupid git. Had loved him for the last five years. She'd thought they knew her better, after everything that had happened in her fourth year. 

Dawn wrapped her arms around her, pulling her friend into a hug. Dawn had dragged the whole thing out of her weeks ago. Which was partly why she was so cool to Ron whenever he tried to talk to her. That was the other reason she and Ginny had whipped up this plan to do this restyling of Luna.

"What's wrong? Hermione asked Ginny, who was glaring in the direction of the door.

"Ron's a jackass." She spat through gritted teeth.

"I meant with Luna. I already knew that about Ron."

"Lu, c'mon. Don't let him get to you. He's scum. He's lower than scum! He's - he's -umm, -" Dawn's voice drifted off as she turned to the other two girls for help.

"Thicker than a squib." Ginny said, turning to face Luna.

"He's - he's not used to using tact."

"Don't defend him!" Dawn cried at Hermione. "That is the fifth time he's called her that, to her face! He's always making little bullshit comments like that. He's such a -"

"Stop." Luna said quietly. As much as they were trying to help her feel better, but they were only making her more upset. She caught her breath and looked up at the three of them. Hermione's eyes shone with pity for the younger girl. Ginny's were full of fire. Dawn's possessed only understanding. "It's silly for me to be crying over Ron Weasley. But it's even sillier for you three to be bickering over him. . ."

The lavatory was quiet, save for the steady drip of water from one of the faucets. Luna turned away from Dawn, her eyes going to the window. Dawn took this as a sign and separated herself from Luna, her eyes locked on fallen magazine. Her brows furrowed as she studied the image on the shiny page. Her eyes widened as they darted from the page to Luna's face. A grin broke out on her face. She motioned for the other two girls to come look at it. Ginny grinned broadly, giggling a little.

"That's absolutely perfect." She cried.

"I know!" Dawn cried.

"Oh, my!" Hermione gushed. Dawn and Ginny looked at her curiously. Hermione'd never shone this side of herself. "It's amazing. You're going to attempt this?"

Luna had walked over to one of the windows, her eyes raking over the fall landscape of the school. She sighed heavily as she focused on the Quidditch pitch. Harry was leading Ron over in that direction, his arms flapping around like a great big chicken as he spoke to Ron. Finally, Harry just threw his arms up, as if to say, you big git, and stomped off in the other direction. Ron raked his hands through his hair, turning back to face the school. Luna watched as his gaze became narrowed, and he was looking up at her. She spun away quickly from the window, only to slam into Dawn.

"Luna, what's wrong?"

"What? Oh, nothing. Just - just looking out." She smiled weakly.

"Lu. C'mon, we've got the most killer of ideas for you!" Dawn said, moving Luna towards the other two. Her eyes darted out the window just to see Ron turn and stomp away. "Damn." She muttered under her breath.

__

* Three hours later * 

Luna didn't know what to say when she saw herself in the mirror. Ginny, Hermione, and Dawn were all gathered around her in Myrtle's bathroom. For the last three hours, Dawn had been constantly reassuring her that everything would be perfect, that she'd love this. The three teens had stooped over her, careful in every move they made, one consulting with the other two before even moving. 

Now it was time to unveil the mirrors. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as Hermione removed the spell to veil them. Her hands shook. She'd never been this nervous before. Well, yes she had, but not for the same reason as this.

"Well, Lu? What do you think?" Dawn asked seriously, but Luna could hear the joy in her friend's voice. "C'mon, Lu! Open up those eyes!"

Luna slowly opened her eyes. And when she finally did, she blink a few times. This couldn't be her. Her hair was brighter, more golden and vibrant instead of dull. She looked older, her hair was pulled back in some sort of intricate design. Her eyes didn't look like they were in a perpetual state of shock. Her lips weren't as pale as before. Her face seemed more alive than it had in nearly all of her life. 

She had yet to look at the outfit that had sent Dawn racing across campus to get from one of the Slayers at the Kendra School. She gazed down at the pale cream colored gauzy top that seemed to be threaded with silver. The sleeves ended at her wrists and were offset with two silver bracelets. The skirt was a pale silvery blue that ended three inches above her knees.

Dawn smiled broadly at Luna's reflection.

"You're so gonna kick ass tomorrow!" She squealed, clapping her hands happily.

"Tomorrow?" She was startled out of her thoughts. "What's tomorrow?"

"Hogsmeade weekend. And you are so totally wearing that!"

"Outside of this lavatory?" Her eyes went wide. "But everyone will be wearing casual clothes. This is too nice -"

"If it'll make you feel better, we'll all wear skirts." Ginny piped up. "Cor we won't be as smashing as you are!"

"I-"

"Nonsense! It'll be fabulous!"

__

*The Next Morning*

Ron didn't get it. They were all avoiding him, as if he'd done something completely horrid. Ok, so perhaps he shouldn't have made that crack about Luna. . . but hell, even her housemates made the same crack hundreds of times. He remembered Harry's rant the night before.

__

"Are you really that thick, Ron?"

"Thick? What'd I do?"

"You don't know?"

"No, mate, I don't know. Maybe you'll fill me in on why those girls all want to murder me?"

"You seriously don't know?"

"No, dammit, I don't!"

"Luna! It's all about Luna!"

"Loony?"  
"Yes, dammit and it's that blasted nickname that's the reason they all want to murder you, Ron."

"Cos I called her 'Loony'? But everyone does it!"

"Do you like it when Malfoy calls you Weasel?"

"No, but -"

"It's the same thing, Ron. Didja know that the Ravenclaws hide her things, or take them throughout the year, and return them after the end of the year feast?"

"No -"

"Then didja know she helped Ginny hide when she was hurt at the Ministry two years ago? That she watched her mother die? That she doesn't care when people tease her?"

"Harry -"

"Let me finish!" He stopped and turned to face his friend. "Luna just brushes it off when people tease her, because she knows her ideas can be pretty out there. She doesn't expect everyone to agree with her. Just look at her and 'Mione when the Quibbler's brought up in discussion. She hates that nickname almost as much as I hate being called 'The Boy Who Lived'. She normally shrugs it off. Until today."

"Today?"

"Yeah, today. Because today was the first time I've seen tears in her eyes. Those tears were there because you called her Loony!"

"But -"

"Dammit Ron, it's because of YOU! She fancies you! Has fancied you since fifth year! And you made her cry. I don't think I can make it any clearer for you!" He stomped off, no longer able to deal with this situation.

"Harry! Where're you going?"  
"I don't know, but - I'm going alone."

"Stupid Luna." Ron muttered under his breath as he raked his hands through his hair. He looked up and saw Luna watching him from the third floor lavatory. She turned away quickly, but he'd seen that she was watching him, and he felt bad.

He'd apologize to her today. Harry had told him that she would be going to Hogsmeade today. He nodded to himself as he stretched in bed. Ron pulled a sweater and a pair of jeans on, tucked his wand in his pocket and raced down to the common room. Harry was talking to Neville and Dean.

"Hey, where's 'Mione?"

"Hermione and Ginny went down already. Said they were going to head over with Dawn and Luna."

"That's odd."

"Not really."

"Look, Harry, bout yesterday."

"Maybe I was out of line, but Luna was the only one who actually managed to comfort me after Sirius was killed."

"Harry -"

"So maybe I'm a little overprotective of her."

Ron didn't see the girls until they'd been in town for nearly an hour. Dawn and Ginny were trying to convince another girl to open her cloak. The girl was shaking her blond head back and forth. It caught Ron's attention.

"C'mon! You promised." Dawn cried, finally getting the girl to give in. 

Ron thought that she must be from the slayer school. She turned around and the cloak was pushed away from her shoulders. Her shirt clung to her chest, and the skirt - Ron never thought he'd seen a shorter skirt! His eyes traveled up her body, from the high-heeled silver boots to the exposed flesh of her endless legs, to that amazing skirt, and clinging shirt, up the pale column of her throat to her face. He felt his breath leave him as he recognized the blond.

"Luna?" He whispered.

__

* * * end part the second* * *


	3. Part the Third

Title: Ill See It Through  
Part: 3/10  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15 (language issues)  
Spoilers: s7 b5  
Set: AU b7, Hogwarts & the Kendra Memorial School for Slayers  
Disclaimers: J.K. owns all things HP, Joss owns all things BtVS.  
Summary: Defying acts, and odd little flirting buddies.  
A/N: The pairings are unclear as of right now on this one - Its changed a few times from the original outline.

__

Part the Third

Luna tugged at the edges of her robe. This was insane, everyone was going to laugh at her for trying to be something she clearly wasnt. Dawn just shook her head no.

"Everyones staring, Dawn. Just give me back my cloak, please?" Luna lowered her head.

"No," The brunette grinned, taking in all of the drooling boys who'd stopped and stared at her friend.

"They -"

"Are drooling themselves crazy over the hot mama in the middle of the street," Dawn grinned.

"What?"

"Don't believe me? Look at Dean Thomas, Lu." Dawn cocked her head back and to the right.

Luna turned to where Dawn was pointing. Sure enough, there stood Parvati Patil with her arm through Dean Thomas's just outside of the Three Broomsticks. Parvati was glaring daggers at her, and Dean was practically tripping over his own feet. Luna turned to Dawn to beg for the cloak back - she was used to her housemates stealing her things, but not Dawn. She just wanted to call as little attention to herself as possible. But before she could speak, a bulky red-headed form stood in front of her.

"Get her dressed, Summers." Ron hissed. "Bloody hell! You're making a right spectacle of yourselves!" He snatched the cloak from Dawn and threw it over Luna's front.

Something in Luna snapped. Here she was, not wanting all of this attention as was _her_ right and _Ron _was acting like his reputation was being dragged through the mud. She stepped back and let the cloak fall to the ground.

"Excuse me?" Luna demanded.

"Luna, cover yourself!" Ron frowned, yanking the cloak from the ground and holding it in front of her body.

"No. I'm not cold. Where are we going, Dawn?"

"Three Broomsticks, I think. Then maybe some shopping," Dawn grinned, lacing her arm through Luna's.

"Excellent idea, I am rather parched," Luna leveled her gaze at the center of Ron's face. "There seems to be something in the way. Odd, that."

Luna side-stepped him, pulling Dawn along with her. Ron gave a sound of protest, but Luna was determined to pay him no mind. She barely heard Ginny's remark to her brother because of said determination.

"You are an arse, Ron. Give me the cloak -"

"Don't even get me started on your _clothing_ choice, Gin," Ron hissed. "What are you two thinking?"

"One, Mum bought me this outfit, and Two, we're all dressing up so we can find good looking blokes to snog," Ginny replied sweetly. "Maybe even a Slytherin or three."

Luna's eyes widened a bit at the comment. She quickly glanced at Dawn, who gave her a cheeky grin.

"That's not true, is it?" Luna hissed, her step faltering a bit.

"Well, I don't know about the Slytherins, but the boy-snogging is an option we'd hoped to capitalize on."

"Dawn! I've never - that is, I didn't dress up to make a boy want to snog me!"

"No, _you_ dressed up to feel confident about yourself. Me and Ginny? We dressed up to make out with yummy looking boys. I've spent the last year in the land of teenage girls, and I am so ready for a testosterone injection -"

"Really?"

Luna and Dawn squeaked a bit as they quickly stopped in front of the two young men they'd been about to crash into. Luna recognized them as Slytherins, both a year ahead of her. Blaise Zabini had been the one to utter the comment, while Theodore Nott had quickly given her new outfit a long once-over.

Zabini was smirking at her, a curious glint in his dark brown eyes. He'd been leaning against the wall of the pub, and he leaned there still. Dawn, having the benefit of being around Anya and Faith, was far more confident in her saucy reply than Luna was sure she would have been.

"Well, the kissing kind of testosterone injection," Dawn smirked back at him. "Hi."

"Hmm," Nott replied, his dark locks falling over his eyes. His gaze was stuck permanently on Dawn's chest, despite the cursory look over Luna's form. "I suspect that could be remedied."

"Fascinating as that is, that wasn't what I was questioning," Zabini rolled his eyes. "You've never what, Lovegood?"

Luna reared back a bit. She was sure she fell far below his purview. She was a year younger than he was, and she kept company with Gryffindors. But she was pureblood, and a Ravenclaw - both facts that would make her an eligible canidate for dating and procreating. Not that she was considering either of them with _him_, not when she still had that horrid crush on Ronald.

"I've never done a great many things, Zabini. For instance I've never found a living Snorkack, nor have I visited Thailand. You're going to have to be more specific with your line of questioning," Luna added a saucy little smile she'd seen Dawn use as she employed the same tactic she had with Ronald.

Dawn gave a snort of laughter as she followed Luna into the pub. Ginny and Hermione were hot on their heels, side-stepping the shocked forms of Zabini and Nott. Luna felt her smile widen a bit as she stepped into the main room.

There was a choking sound from the table by the door, and her eyes flicked over to where Ernie MacMillian was choking on his butterbeer. Padma Patil was smacking him on the back, the look in her eyes mirroring those of her sister's earlier. Seamus had actually tripped over his own feet, and both of the Weasley twins who'd apparently come up to Hogsmeade with Jordan Lee for the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw the next day were staring at her as if she'd grown three heads. Or a set of breasts, which, technically she had.

Draco Malfoy even stared at her oddly, which was just disconcerting really. Luna squared her shoulders and made her way over to an empty table. The journalist in her wondered if all it took was good underwear and cosmetics to attract this new attention. The naturalist in her wondered if it was something to do with pheromones and mating rituals.

Ginny grinned at her reassuringly and walked up to the bar to order their drinks. Hermione started talking to Dawn about the houses in the Slayer Academy. Dawn rolled her eyes, but answered truthfully.

"Xander thought it would be cool to come up with names like you guys have for Hogwarts. But they didn't want to name it after themselves, so they picked their nicknames."

"Nicknames?" Luna perked up. For all that the Academy was attached to Hogwarts, there was still some mystery about them. The addition of houses was relatively new. Once again, she blamed her journalistic instinct.

"Sort of," Dawn sighed. "So there's the Fred house - for the natural leaders, the Velma house for the girls who are more inquisitive about what they're killing, the Daphne house for the girls who are kinda vain and divaish, and the Shaggy house for the girls who are more laid back. The watchers we get are going to be divided the same way. Buffy's handling both house Fred and Daphne right now, which is stressful, Xander's taking over Shaggy House, and Willow's heading up Velma house."

"And which house do you belong to?" Hermione asked, a smile playing at the edge of her lips. Apparently, she understood the references to a Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy that eluded Luna.

"Scrappy," Dawn hissed.

Hermione burst into peals of laughter, while Dawn merely blushed and Luna frowned. Ginny raised a brow at them as she set the mugs down.

"I miss something?" Ginny asked, taking the seat beside Luna.

"If you did, then I did as well. Apparently, its a Muggle thing," Luna leaned forward on her elbows, unaware of the show she was giving the table of boys across from them. "What house would we fall into?"

"Well, Ginny'd probably be in the Fred house. And Hermione would be in the Velma house. And you'd probably be in Scrappy house, because it is really lonely there for me and I'm being selfish."

"Have you no decency?"

All four girls heads jerked up as a shadow crossed their table. Dawn slinked down further in her seat and Hermione blushed. Luna only frowned.


	4. Part the Fourth

Title: I'll See It Through  
Part: 4/10  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Spoilers: s7 b5  
Set: AU b7, Hogwarts & the Kendra Memorial School for Slayers  
Disclaimers: J.K. owns all things HP, Joss owns all things BtVS.  
Summary: Defying acts, and odd little flirting buddies.  
A/N: Cliffy, I know. Im evil. Also, the first half of the last part was written oh, six years ago? So the original plot idea is a bit foggy on just exactly where I was going with it...yeah.

__

Part the Fourth

"Dawn, you promised you'd wait for me!" The blond haired man pouted as he pulled a chair over to their table.

"God, Andrew, I didn't know you actually were going to come with!" Dawn slunk even further into her seat. "Contrary to Buffy's belief, I don't need someone keeping a constant eye on me!"

"You know Mr. Giles doesn't let me go out into the village unless I'm on official Watcher business! If I don't tag along with you or one of the other girls, I don't get to go at all!" Andrew whined, pulling a chair from a nearby table.

The occupants of that table did not appreciate it, however. There was a loud shriek and a dull thud that both Dawn and Andrew ignored as they continued to bicker. The three Hogwarts girls did, however, notice when Pansy Parkinson started shrieking on the floor.

"Oh no," Hermione winced as Pansy pushed herself up.

"Andrew. I think -" Ginny started to say, just as they noticed Pansy whipping out her wand.

"No time -" Luna, being the closest to the watcher, rose quickly and shoved him away.

Luna felt her whole body tingle as the spell meant for Andrew hit her instead. She sank heavily to the ground, her mind lingering on the thought that she wouldn't get to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Darkness crept in on her and she heard Dawn screaming faintly in the background.

* * *

When she came to, she felt herself floating. Her heart was drumming in her chest. Luna blinked away the lingering fog around her and found herself staring at the darkest blue cloth in front of her. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't her heart she'd heard beating.

"Its meant to be black, isn't it?" Luna murmured.

"Hey, brain trust, she's awake! You can put her down now!" Dawn cried from somewhere behind whomever was carrying her.

"Yes, because that sentiment was anywhere near coherent," the male carrying her snorted.

"Zabini? Why is he carrying me?"

"Because Parkinson brained you, Lovegood," a female said from behind them. Luna lifted her head off of Zabini's chest for a moment to stare at the girl behind them with Dawn and Ginny.

"Where's Hermione got to? And is Andrew well?"

"Stop worrying about them, will you? And sit still."

Luna frowned up at Blaise, not quite sure why he was looking so pale - an odd expression on his dark caramel coloring. After all, he hadn't been hit with a hex.

"Our Blaise is a bit sensitive when it comes to the gentler sex being hexed," the dark haired girl gave her a toothy grin.

"Shut it, Bulstrode," Zabini sighed.

"Millicent Bulstrode? I barely recognized you," Luna looked back at the older witch.

"You're not the only one who learned the niceties of make-up and clothes over break," Millicent actually grinned at her. Luna wasn't sure she'd ever seen that expression on the Slytherin before. "Madame Zabini's got impeccable taste, you know."

"I hadn't."

"Well, the woman has been married six times and engaged four more," Millicent's eyes gleamed, and Luna wasn't sure why. "Stands to reason she knows something about the opposite sex."

"Logically speaking, it does."

"Can we stop discussing my mother?" Blaise shot a look over at Millicent. "Haven't you got something better to do?"

"No. I can't stand Pansy, Draco's being a bitch again, Goyle's stuck with him, and Nott's tied up with prefect nonsense because of Pansy. You are my second best mate, you know."

"You are? I thought Nott and Zabini were too high up to deal with peons like us," Ginny snorted.

"Your breadth of knowledge on the subject of Nott and myself is stupefying," Blaise rolled his eyes.

"You can hardly blame her for that opinion. We barely know anything about you - all three of you," Luna sighed.

"Except that Millicent dislikes Hermione."

"I don't dislike her. I dislike that she mucks up the grading curve for us peons," Millicent snorted. "And everyone's holding that headlock nonsense against me! I was twelve, I had anger issues, but did anyone care to ask why I was so angry?"

"You've been talking to Buffy, haven't you?" Dawn stared at the Slytherin girl.

"Well, yeah. And Madame Zabini -"

"Bulstrode. Stop talking about my mother," Blaise gritted out. "We're here."

"Here where?" Luna frowned.

"Hospital wing."

"Why again is Zabini taking me to the Hospital wing?" Luna called out over his shoulder.

"That would because the heifer Pansy tried to leg-lock - Andrew, innit? - and it hit you mid-dive and you conked yourself out on the flagstones," Millicent answered.

"Yes, I had gathered that. Why is _Zabini_ taking me to the -"

"Because I was conveniently at hand to scoop you up," Zabinis tone deepened, in what she was sure was meant to sound seductive. Of course, she could be wrong.

"Uh, no. Potter and Weasley got there first, but Potter was too busy holding back Weasley and Granger from Pansy," Millicent snorted.

"Hermione and Ron? Whatever were they doing?"

"Well, Granger had gotten a nice handful of bleached blonde hair in her hands and Weasley was trying to pull her back when Pansy made a derisive comment that had him seething."

"And then Neville jumped in on it," Dawn grinned, stepping up alongside Zabini.

"Neville?" Luna frowned. Neville was a nice enough boy, but he was non-confrontational at best.

?He hexed her back, and quite impressively too," Ginny answered, holding the door open for Blaise.

"And the twins joined in - which had Lee Jordan bemoaning the fact that he'll have to call the Quidditch game tomorrow," Millicent finished.

"This is the most I've ever heard you speak, Millicent." Luna mused.

"Well, duh. You're a year younger than me and you're in a different House. Why would we ever converse?"

"You're very insightful. Did you realize you went a bit pink when you talked about the twins?"

"What?"

"That's my question, I believe, Miss Bulstrode," Madame Pomfrey shook her head at the group of them and raised a brow at Blaise. "Have you never heard of a levitating charm Mister Zabini?"

"Didn't seem necessary, Madame, when I had two very capable hands."

"Set her down, and then out of here with the rest of you."

"But Luna doesn't even know what happened to her! How can you -" Dawn's voice cut out as the mediwitch leveled a look at her. "Magic. Still not used to that."

Blaise was extremely gentle as he placed her on the cot, his head leaning toward her ear.

"We'll have to cross out pub fight on your list of never-been, shan't we?" he whispered quietly.

"It never actually made the list," Luna murmured back.

"Theres a few others we'll have to cross out together, Lovegood."

Luna felt her breath hitch, certain he was having a go at her. But his eyes were shockingly serious. She took a steadying breath to respond, but he pulled back and started for the door.

"Students getting nearly concussed in Hogsmeade! As if some of us hadn't plans for this evening besides keeping an eye out on students!" Madame clucked.

"I had plans for this outfit," Luna murmured.

* * *

The five guardians of Luna found themselves stuck out in the hall with a hollering Ron barging at them. Dawn and Ginny rolled their eyes, Andrew looked confused, and Millicent looked gleefully on as Blaise stepped in front of Ron's path.

"Get out of the way, Zabini," Ron spat.

"We've been ordered out by Pomfrey. You aren't hurt, so you've got no reason to be in there," Ginny sighed.

"If you were so concerned about her, you should have been there to pick her up off the floor," Dawn looked disgusted with him. "Like Blaise did."

"What are you on about?" Millicent muttered, looking between the two girls. They were purposely putting the two boys at odds. A smile crept over her lips.

"You're just going to agitate her, and she's trying to heal," Blaise said calmly, looking absolutely bored with Ron's posturing.

"She wouldn't have got hurt if you two hadn't tarted her up," Ron blustered.

"Did he just call Luna a tart? Who even talks like that?" Dawn laughed at him.

"I thought she was tastefully put together," Andrew mused. "Well, from what I saw of her outfit. Before that flower girl hexed her."

"She looked downright delicious," Blaise gave a small smile. "Only a fool would miss her lovely attributes."

"Okay, I think we've got to be going now," Millicent stepped between Ron and Blaise, shoving Ron back easily. "Summers, we'll chat later."

"We will?" Dawn stared at the Slytherin girl.

"Yeah. Great Hall, after dinner."


	5. Part the Fifth

Title: I'll See It Through  
Part: 5/10  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Spoilers: s7 b5  
Set: AU b7, Hogwarts & the Kendra Memorial School for Slayers  
Disclaimers: J.K. owns all things HP, Joss owns all things BtVS.  
Summary: Pow-wows, punching bags, and plots.  
A/N: So, a Slytherin comes to her rescue, Luna's seeing things in a new light, and Ron's being a douche. Oddly enough, all of that was in the original plot (except it was Malfoy - and a flirtation with Dean Thomas). To quote the Scouting for Girls song (which came out nearly six years after I got the idea for the story but fits perfectly) this isn't a love song - its a goodbye. A goodbye to childhood misconceptions and feelings on Luna's part anyway.  
**WARNINGS:** Also, there are some rather disturbing revelations in this chapter.

__

Part the Fifth

Blaise and Millicent were nearly ambushed in the Slytherin common room when they returned that afternoon. Nott, Malfoy and Goyle were keeping to themselves, but Pansy, the Greengrass chit and Crabbe fell in on them along with a fewer younger cronies.

"Whatever do you think youre doing, Zabini? Are you trying to get in Looney Lovegood's pants for the Dark Lord?" Pansy tittered nastily, looking down her nose at them. "And which Gryffindork are _you_ diddling for the Dark Lord, Bulstrode?"

"Besides one who'd want you to wear a mask?" Daphne Greengrass shrieked nasally. "Or would want you to drink a polyjuice potion?"

"Merlin, preserve me from strangling them," Millicent rolled her eyes. "I'm too young to spend my best years in Azkaban, like someone's dearest, darlingest godparents."

"What did you say about my godparents, you fat stupid cow?" Pansy shrieked.

"And there goes my left eardrum," Blaise winced. "I'm not getting into Lovegood's pants for the Dark Lord, Pansy. Not that its any of your concern."

"I'd diddle all the Gryffindors, Pans," Millicent smirked. "If only just to prove that I can get them instead of you."

"Like I'd want any of those Mudblood loving freaks."

"And none of them would have you anyway, so get out of my face already. I've had a tiring afternoon," Millicent sneered. "I'm quite in the mood to bitch-slap you across the common room, but we played that game last week. I find repetition rather boring these days."

"You'll pay for your repeated stupidity," Pansy snarled, turning her half-pretty face rather ugly.

"Promises, promises."

Pansy and her troupe of Dark-Mark wanting idiots trouped out of the common room, leaving it blissfully quiet. No younger students lingered about - it was clearly marked as the 7th years domain. With Snape being so involved in the protection of the campus from Death Eaters and the organizing of the slayer school, he had little time to monitor the students of his house closely.

Theo lounged on the antique chaise Pansy's mother had sent as a generous donation that no one besides Pansy ever used because it looked extremely breakable. It had also had a bewitched listening device stuffed in the cushions that Blaise had found the first day. Not that any of them were stupid enough to speak plainly in public. Theo, Blaise and Millicent had come up with a code in their third year, once they realized the Golden Trio had infiltrated the common room their second year. Goyle and Draco had been let in on the secret after both of their father's had ruined their lives at the end of their fifth year.

"Pansy's chuffed about that fall on her bum for no reason," Goyle spoke first, giving the slightest nod to the candelabra on the mantelpiece.

"It isn't as if she hasn't the cushioning to sustain such a blow," Millicent winked at him.

"Her reactions seem a bit excessive," Theo reasoned, meaning she was being told to overreact to any slight.

But for what purpose? She was one of the few Slytherin 7th years that still had any contact with their parents. Everyone suspected the Parkinsons of being Death Eaters but they had no proof to back the supposition. The void the elder Malfoy and Nott patriarchs had left in their imprisonment or deaths had quickly and quietly been filled by those of lower rank.

"Who do you think has the best advantage in the match tomorrow?" Millicent turned the conversation towards their school and campus mates. None of them had spoken of the Slayer school in the common room.

"Gryffindor's got brute strength. Ravenclaw's still trying to recover from losing their girl," Blaise caught Millicents eye, and she knew he was thinking about Luna.

"It'll be close, they've been training harder, and Ravenclaw's tougher than they look," Nott added.

"I'd just like to see Gryffindor go down in flames," Draco mused.

Honestly, just once, Millicent wished she hadn't been the only girl to defect in the group. Because Malfoy _knew_ they were talking about Lovegood, Summers, and Weasley and what Pansy was going to do to them. He just had to throw in the sexual innuendo.

"We don't face Gryffindor until the end of the season," Millicent rolled her eyes at them. "So there's nothing to worry about from that corner, and we play Hufflepuff in the next match."

"Hufflepuff hasn't had any decent players since Diggory -" Goyle snorted. It was a warning. Diggory had died at the Dark Lord's hands. Those three girls were as good as marked just by their proximity to Potter. Which would make any boy courting them targets as well.

"Doesn't mean anything," Blaise said quietly, catching Millicent's eyes. She fought to not groan. The idiot had kept himself aloof for six years and now, because of some fragile looking little Ravenclaw chit, he was going to risk it all. "They could surprise us."

* * *

Luna's head throbbed from the impact. And from all of the thoughts of what had happened between Blaise, Ron, the girls and herself. She didn't wish to rush the medi-witch but she should have a pain potion on hand for such emergencies. Instead, she was sending an owl to Professors Snape and Sprout for more materials. So Luna stared out the window, trying not to think on the constant throbbing of her head.

_"Thinking about boys won't make your headache go away, Lu,"_ a ghostly whisper said from beside her.

"Yes, but I can't help it," Luna responded without ever taking her eyes from the window.

Cassie hovered beside her, twining her wispy hair around her finger. She watched what Luna watched - happy, normal teenage witches and wizards coming back happily from a normal Hogsmeade visit. Luna had never seen the point of being so boringly normal before today - when they had been having a perfectly normal time. No secretive DA meetings, no watching out for the newest trick up Voldemort's sleeves. Just being a girl.

_"Careful what you wish for, you just might get it, Lu."_

"I suppose so."

_"You looked amazing, coming on the grounds in his arms,"_ the teenaged ghost grinned goofily at her.

"I don't understand it," Luna shook her head, trying to ignore the ache.

_"Damsel in distress. Boys seem to eat that shit up with a spoon,"_ Cassie shrugged.

"When you died, you didn't lose your gift of foresight, did you?" Luna asked quietly, her eyes catching the ghostly ones.

_"And that question came from left field_," Cassie looked away first.

"You encouraged my friendship with Dawn. Dawn in turn did this," Luna gestured to her now spoilt outfit and make-up, "To me. Dawn didn't invite Andrew which upset him, in turn Andrew upset Pansy, and I tried to protect him. Making Blaise come to my aid. It stands to reason that you saw all of that."

_"Curses, foiled by Ravenclaw logic_," Cassie smiled.

"To distract me from Ronald?"

_"In part. You know he's madly hooked-up on Hermione,"_ Cassie sighed. "_Its like fate or something."_

"I know," Luna sighed as well. You had to be blind to not see the way his eyes followed her. Or the way hers followed him. Still, she had held onto a nugget of hope. "And Blaise Zabini is your next best option?"

_"Well, you kind of intimidate Neville, and I thought maybe Harry -"_

"Is baffled by me, even though he understands me best of all." Not that her heart hadn't flickered a bit in his direction for a brief moment.

__

"Yeah. Hadn't thought of that. Anyway, you needed someone stronger, and he was there."

"It doesn't mean it will come to anything, or that -"

_"Ye of little faith!"_ Cassie huffed. "_Seer here_._ I know what I saw_."

Luna looked at her full on then, her eyes scrunched up to focus on her ghostly companion. After a long, probing moment she turned away from the ghost.

"You saw more than that. And its not all good."

* * *

Luna hadn't been released in time for the evening meal, which left an edgy Dawn and annoyed Ginny to stew in their concern for their friend. Hermione, Harry and Ron had been arguing all afternoon. Dawn had been freaking out about the Millicent meet-up. And Ginny had been plotting her revenge on Pansy.

"She's not going!" Ron hissed.

"You're not the boss of me, Weasley," Dawn poked at her dinner.

"That beast tried to kill Hermione!"

"I'm sure she had a good reason," Dawn snapped. "And don't call her a beast, butthead."

"You have to stop bossing everyone around, Ron," Hermione huffed. "Its none of your business who Dawn chooses to be seen with - even if she is slightly psychotic."

"Me or her?" Dawn frowned at the comment.

"My brain just shuddered at the words coming from your mouth!" Ron pushed himself away from the table.

"It shuddered?" Ginny snorted. "Sure that's just not its normal rattle in that big thick head of yours?"

Ron glared at his sister, but still stormed out. Hermione crossed her arms angrily, but didn't follow him out. Harry just looked resigned to it all, which Dawn was taking as a sign that she'd become friends with lunatics. Still, beat living on the hellmouth. Plus, there were boys, so she wasn't knocking it.

"Honestly, he is such a drama queen," Dawn rolled her eyes. "But seriously, what could Millicent have to talk to me about?"

"You're the safest for her to speak to publicly," Hermione shrugged.

"Huh? You guys have known her for _years_," Dawn frowned.

"Yes, but we're _Gryffindors_," Ginny answered, as if that made all the sense in the world.

"I'm a Scrappy, what's your point?"

"Bulstrode's a Slytherin," Harry finished, catching Dawn's still blank look. "Mortal enemies? House rivalry? Our founders hated each other and parted under a dark cloud?"

"Oh, like jocks vs. nerds? That seriously happens here at a _magic_ school?"

"Doesn't it happen in the Slayer school?" Hermione asked.

"Nope, too new yet for us to hate each other. And bonus, our founders are still best of buds," Dawn shrugged and went back to eating her dessert.

Despite the whole cliff-notes version of why she was picked, the meal was over far too quickly for her taste. But then she did have a meeting with the one girl in the school who kind of scared her. Which was why she was hedging in the doorway, keeping an eye on the thinning crowd of students and faculty. Its not like Buffy or the others wouldn't come looking for her if she should not show up for curfew. Plus, she promised Luna she and Ginny would walk her back to Ravenclaw.

"I'm not going to brain you, Summers," Millicent's voice came from the shadowed hall.

"I know that!" Dawn hissed, stepping out into the hallway. "What did you want?"

"To talk about Lovegood, Zabini and our mutual problem," Millicent sighed.

_"Mutual_ problem? What, Pansy?" Dawn crossed her arms and stared at the slightly shorter girl. She was so sick of towering over most of the junior slayers and witches at the two schools. It was nice to be eye to eye with girls her own age again.

"Partly, but only because her parents are Death Eaters," Millicent sighed. "And Weasley."

"Ginny?"

"The brother. Ron."

"What's that idiot got to do with anything?"

"I want to know why you're trying to pit Weasley against Blaise over Lovegood," Millicent leaned against the wall. "Especially since you know its only gonna break that girls heart."

"He doesn't care about her," Dawn shrugged. Millicent saw what only a dozen people really noticed - Luna was hung up on that stupid ginger boy, and he was awful to her.

"Which he are we speaking about?"

"Ron. Its a crush, and he's a jerk. And since only the Slytherins are forward enough to hit on her, who else would I choose?"

"Potter."

"Yeah, Harry's firmly in the friend zone with Lu and Mione," Dawn rolled her eyes.

"So Blaise is just a convenient body to you?"

"A tasty and delicious looking body," Dawn chirped, then quickly sobered once she realized Millicent's frown had only deepened. "Not that we only want him for his body."

"You're new and your sister is half-decent for a magical non-wizard, so I'm not going to bash your head against the walls, Summers," Millicent sighed.

"Thanks, I think." Dawn cautiously took a step away from her.

"Slytherin house is balanced on a knife's edge. There are those of us following in our parents footsteps, and those of us scrambling away in the night," the Slytherin spoke quietly. "And while I firmly believe that Lovegood is the right kind of girl to shake the stone wall that is my best mate, I also don't want it to tip him onto the blade."

"Luna wouldn't do that to anyone," Dawn crossed her arms.

"Not intentionally, but she hangs with a dangerous crowd. And because of Blaise's family, I don't see him acting in any way but one where she's concerned."

"What's his family got to do with it?" Until earlier, she hadn't really heard anything about the good-looking Slytherin boy.

"Blaise was raised by his mother and his older half-sister Augusta," Millicent motioned to an empty hallway now that the last stragglers from dinner were going past. "Signora Zabini's put six husbands in the ground, Blaise and Augusta's fathers, and the four in between."

_"Put_ them in the ground?" Dawns eyes widened comically.

"Not all of them intentionally," Millicent flicked her eyes up to the ceiling. "Rumor has it that Augusta's father beat the Signora. He contracted a mysterious illness when Gussie was three. She remarried within the year, but her husband was elderly and he passed on shortly after their first anniversary. There's twelve years between Augusta and Blaise in age, and nearly another twelve between Blaise and his youngest sister."

"Wow. Wizards age differently, don't they? That's why there's such a big age gap between them, right?" Dawn forgot about the whole screw-over-Ron-and-hook-Luna-up plan for a few minutes.

"Yes and no. Signora Zabini was forced into a marriage at fifteen, just like my mother," Millicent looked away, her jaw clenching.

"What? How can that even be legal?" Dawn felt nauseous, remembering her own child-bride mishap with the demon Sweet.

?It is when your parents sign away your rights in order to gain a social or monetary connection that benefits them. It crushed my mother, but it made the Signora stronger."

"Your mom was only twenty-seven when she died, wasn't she?" Dawn caught the her eyes. Millicent had been an angry _twelve _year old for a reason.

"Died in childbirth, but did so giving him another blasted daughter," Millicent shook her head. "Not for lack of trying. She'd miscarried five times. The medi-witch told her not to attempt a seventh pregnancy."

"And your father?"

"No one would willingly marry him the first two times," Millicent said quietly.

"The Signora took you and your sister in?"

"My sister has been in her care since the day after my mother died," the Slytherin turned away from her. "Father died last winter, after I showed up at the Villa sporting day old bruises from his attempts to breed a whelp on me."

Dawn felt her jaw drop and her lovely dessert crawl up the back of her throat. Okay, that explained _a lot_ about Millicent's anger issues. But it didn't tell Dawn squat about why she was so worried about Blaise's heart. Unless...

"And no, I don't fancy Blaise as more than a mate," Millicent rolled her eyes.

"But he's so dreamy," Dawn frowned.

"He is, but it would be like you wanting a snog with your Andrew to me."

"Oh. Eeww."

"Precisely."

"Okay, well, we just want Luna to be happy and for Ron to stop calling her names. Ginny and I have no intention of throwing Blaise under the bus. But they would make a cute couple," Dawn sighed.

"Of that, I have no doubt," Millicent shrugged when Dawn frowned at her. "I just wanted you aware that if you wanted Luna to be with Ron or any other nice wizard after getting Blaise all worked up about her that it wouldn't happen that way."

"Alpha possessive type?" Dawn sighed.

"Never been that way before, but there's always a first for everything."

* * *

A half an hour later, after plotting with Millicent who was nicer than she seemed, Dawn made her way over to Luna in the hospital wing. Ginny had told her earlier that they would probably keep her overnight, and Dawn had got permission to hang out with the injured girl. Dawn didn't mind. Scrappy House got quiet at night with just her in it and Buffy out on patrol with Mr. Hagrid.

"Hey, Lu."

"Dawn, you don't have to keep me company," Luna tucked her copy of the Quibbler away. Ginny had left not five minutes before, sneaking her down the paper and several other girlier magazines from her and Dawn's stash.

"I know, but I want to and they won't let you come to Scrappy house, so the semi-sleepover in the hospital wing. Besides, I don't trust the medical profession as a whole because - you know what, that so doesn't matter. That nurse Madame whatever looks shifty, and besides, you know me and Gin'll kill each other within a month without you around."

"I'm used to being by myself, Dawn."

"Yeah, so am I. So shush, while I get the quality bonding on with a person my own age, okay?" Dawn sighed, holding up two bottles of nail polish. "So Blush or Bashful?"

"They're both pink."


End file.
